Searle & CO. Acquires 7,700 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Searle & CO. grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 116.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,308 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,700 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for about 1.0% of Searle & CO.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark raised their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $2.20 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $234.96. 1,651,640 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,310,974. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $243.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.71 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.